1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of prostheses for the human elbow.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, correction of the diseased or otherwise defective articulating surfaces of a human elbow joint has taken three basic forms: (1) fusion of the elbow joint, (2) replacement of the elbow joint with a hinged-type prosthesis, or (3) arthoroplasty (i.e., the mere removal of the diseased or otherwise defective portion of the elbow joint). All of these forms are disadvantageous for one reason or another. For example, fusion of the elbow joint is obviously disadvantageous since it prevents any flexion of the elbow. Hinged type prostheses are also disadvantageous since they do not allow normal full range motion of the elbow joint without putting stress on the bone and/or implants which results in, for example, early failure of such implants. Arthroplasty results in a weak, fragile elbow joint.
The inventor is aware of the following U.S. patents which relate generally to the present invention: Averill et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,728,742 and Kaufer et al, 3,868,730. Both of these patents disclose prostheses designed primarily for replacing the articulating surfaces of a human knee joint. The Averill et al. patent discloses a joint prosthesis consisting of an upper member and a lower member with the upper member having a pair of spaced condyle portions joined together by an intercondyloidal segment and with the lower member having a pair of similarly spaced plateau portions joined by an interplateau segment for receiving the condyle portions of the upper member. The Kaufer et al patent discloses a hinged-type prosthesis consisting of a femoral and a tibial component rotatably coupled together by a ball and socket connection. Neither of the above patents disclose or suggest the present invention.